Holly grabbed the lunch she’d asked Bryce to get for her and went into one of the recording studio’s lounge rooms. Luckily, people here were aware of her desire to be left alone during breaks. It kept her in the zone. At least, it usually did.

She’d been distracted today. Jaxon kept popping into her mind. She’d only seen him briefly earlier that morning when he’d come out to greet her and Xavier when Xavier had dropped her back at Avalon. Although he’d said their family issue was still ongoing, Jaxon had looked more relaxed.

She grinned. She couldn’t wait to tell Xavier and Eve about them, but they’d agreed to keep their new relationship to themselves for the time being. Maybe after they’d dated for a couple more months, they could let her family in on the secret. She couldn’t wait to invite Jaxon to their family dinners.

Oh, listen to her! Who was to say she and Jaxon would still be together after two months? She certainly didn’t have a good track record when it came to relationships.

But honestly, this time something felt different. She might be being too presumptuous, but she had a feeling Jaxon could be the one. It was exciting—and terrifying. She was scared to lose him.

Her phone vibrated with a text message and her heart skipped. Jaxon was thinking about her too, asking how the recording was going. She answered him back.

She unwrapped her tuna sandwich and bit into it while she waited for his response.

Holly laughed out loud, utterly thrilled.

She bit her lip.

She sent him a kiss emoji.

She didn’t know what to do with Jaxon being so suspicious of Bryce. She just couldn’t imagine Smith Security missing anything important when checking Bryce’s background.

She Googled drug dealers and Whitsunday islands from her phone. But no matter how many different keyword combinations she used, she couldn’t bring up the article Jaxon had mentioned.

Perhaps Jaxon’s memory had failed him in this instance? Maybe the island he’d read about wasn’t in the Whitsundays?

Anyway, even if it were true, she was sure Smith Security would have investigated it. They’d probably already determined that Bryce wasn’t involved in anything illegal or criminal.

But Jaxon would want some proof, so she called Christine.

“Hey, Holly. How’s today going?”

“A bit slow, but not too bad. Hey, I wanted to ask about Smith Security’s report on Bryce. Did they give you something comprehensive or just a summary saying he’s a-okay?”

“It was a summary, as per usual, stating they’d done a comprehensive check on him. Why? Is something wrong?”

“No. It’s just that my family’s still anxious about the kidnapping threat. They said they’ll be more comfortable if my bodyguard’s someone already well-known to us, unlike Bryce.”

“Who do they have in mind?”

Holly sighed. “That’s the thing. There’s no one else we trust who’s able to take on the role full time. Anyway, can you forward me Smith’s email on Bryce? I want to show it to them to put their minds at ease.”

“Sure. Let me find it now… Here it is. Sent.”

“Thanks.”

“No worries. Anything else?”

“That’s it. I’ll see you Friday to discuss the details of that Heavenly Music Spa Retreat endorsement. I’m really excited about that because I love them so much.”

“They are so thrilled that you’ve agreed to endorse them. You’ll be taking me with you for the whole overnight trip, right?”

“Of course,” Holly said with a laugh. “No way my manager’s not going with me for the shoot.”

“Yay! Can’t wait. See you Friday, then.”

“Bye.”

Holly called up the email she’d asked for and read it. Hm. Apart from attaching a copy of Bryce’s resume, there was nothing in it that indicated Smith had had any concerns about Bryce. They had also included transcripts of seven references from celebrities and company executives, all extolling Bryce’s virtues.

Nothing raised a red flag in this email, but she could already hear Jaxon saying Smith might not have known about those drug dealers.

Well, she might as well help in getting this straightened out. She rang Smith Security and asked for Drew Hardy, the account manager who’d sent Christine the original email.

“Hello, Miss Stirling,” Drew said. “What can I help you with?”

“Hello, Drew. I just want to confirm something in relation to Bryce Green’s background check.”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, not at all. Bryce is doing great. My family’s just being overly cautious because of Anna Sanders’s disappearance. They want to make sure there were no stones left unturned regarding Bryce’s personal and work history. So could you tell me if you found anything whatsoever that could link Bryce to anything shady? I know that if you did find something, that you’ve already checked it out and everything’s fine, otherwise you wouldn’t have employed him. But my family just wants to know.”

“We’re always very thorough, Miss Stirling. You can tell your family there’s nothing for them to worry about.”

“I’ve already told them exactly that. How about you send me a copy of your complete background check on Bryce? That should satisfy them.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that because of privacy issues.”

“But hasn’t Bryce signed a document agreeing that you can release to me and my manager whatever information we want relating to his suitability for the role? Your background check on him relates very much to his suitability for his role as my bodyguard.”

Drew was silent for a few seconds. “I’m afraid I can’t help you, Miss Stirling. We’ve already sent your manager everything we can send to our clients.”

Holly sighed. This guy sounded like a stickler for process. She’d waste her time arguing semantics with him. “Okay, don’t worry,” she said, trying not to sound too annoyed.

“Thank you, Miss Stirling. Have a nice day.”

She made a face as she hung up. Then she rang Terry Smith. The CEO wouldn’t mind checking things out for her, would he?

“Holly!” Terry said. “What a surprise.”

“Hello, Terry. Thanks for taking my call. I hope this isn’t a bad time.”

“Not at all. What can I do for you?”

“Well, as you know, your company supplied me with a new bodyguard, Bryce Green. I just want a copy of your comprehensive background check on him. Your employee I just spoke with doesn’t seem to think he can send it to me even though Bryce has signed a document stating we can have that kind of info.”

“I’m afraid my employee is correct. The reason why we don’t release the actual background report is because it contains our procedures for checking out potential employees. We don’t want people getting a hold of how we conduct investigations so that we can minimise the risk of candidates manipulating results.”

“Oh, I see. That makes perfect sense. Is it possible to black out the process and only give me the answers?”

“Hm… yes, I think we can do that for you. May I ask why you want it for someone you’ve already hired?”

“Well, my parents just want to have a read. Because of Anna’s kidnapping, they’re very worried I could be next. They want to double check that I’ve got the best bodyguard for me. I already know I do, but I just want to humour them.”

“Ah, it’s understandable they’re worried. I’ll have it emailed to you as soon as possible. Do we have your email address on file?”

“You can send it to my manager. She’ll forward it on to me.”

“Consider it done. Your manager should get it within half an hour.”

“Thanks so much, Terry. I appreciate that.”

“You’re welcome. Bye for now.”

“Bye.”

Holly blew out a breath. That was a good outcome. Now even she couldn’t wait to get the document.

She texted Christine to warn her about the expected email, then played what she’d recorded earlier on her phone, making notes of what she wanted to change. Before she knew it, half an hour had passed.

She checked her inbox and found the email from Smith Security that Christine had forwarded. She opened it eagerly.

The attached document contained several pages, with plenty of lines blacked out. But it was enough for Holly to gather that Bryce had a clean record. There was nothing about drug dealers having been at the same place and time as Bryce, but the names of the islands he’d worked on were mentioned. Jaxon should be able to cross-check it with that article he’d read. She was sure, though, that Bryce had never rubbed shoulders with known criminals.

There was another item that captured her attention. It was about Bryce having befriended a couple of teenage thieves back when he worked as a security guard for a small family-owned grocery in Darwin. Apparently, he’d succeeded in stopping those hungry teens from shoplifting by helping them get a job delivering newspapers and magazines.

“Aw,” she said, touched. See? Not only was Bryce honest, but he also had a big heart. She knew she could trust him.

Now all she had to do was show this to Jaxon so he too could be convinced of Bryce’s trustworthiness. She had to be careful how she’d go about it, though. The last thing she wanted was for Jaxon to think she was siding with Bryce too much and get jealous again, especially when she’d had to persuade Jaxon to let Bryce spend more time with her as her bodyguard.

It was silly, really, for Jaxon—and even Xavier—to drive her around or watch over her when she had a perfectly capable security detail. She understood that the threat of being kidnapped was no small thing. But Jaxon and Xavier taking time off from their respective jobs because of her wasn’t a small thing, either.

Anyway, she’d already made up her mind that she wouldn’t let either of those two go out of their way to accompany her to the photo shoot for Heavenly Music Spa at the Byron Bay hinterland next month. It’d be on a Tuesday and Wednesday, and even though Xavier was flexible with his work, he shouldn’t go anywhere without Eve, since he was effectively Eve’s bodyguard. And Eve couldn’t just take time off from her job to join her at the spa.

As for Jaxon, he had to be on hand for a franchise expo at the International Convention Centre at Darling Harbour next month. He had to stay in Sydney. She couldn’t let him neglect his business because he worried about her too much.

She could already see it being a battle, but she had to convince Jaxon and her family that she’d be fine without any of them at Heavenly Music Spa. Not only were Christine and Bryce going with her, two other executives of the spa would be going as well. As for the actual property itself, apparently, they had good security to detect and ward off trespassers, which should also work for kidnappers. Besides, she was assured no one else would know about her visit apart from the two company executives. Even the staff at the site wouldn’t have a clue until she got there.

She sighed. Despite all that, she wasn’t sure how Jaxon would react if she told him that Bryce would accompany her to the Byron Bay hinterland for two days. But she’d stick to her guns. And when she was back, Jaxon would realise she was right about Bryce.